What Happened Over Winter Break
by Kaze no Firework
Summary: After the Clue Hunt, Amy and Dan are just settling into Attleboro when they receive a strange message. From the Kabras. Could it be that they're coming over for the holidays? Oh great. How will Amy and Dan survive?
1. MisCommute

**Hi everyone! This is my first 39 Clues story. I'm kind of nervous/iffy about posting this, because I've tried editing this a lot and it never really seems right...**

**This story is actually supposed to take place near winter break, the holiday season before when the Rapid Fire book #7 (Fireworks) is. Oh, also-this story (or at least this chapter) might not make much sense if you haven't read Rapid Fire book #4 (Crushed), which is about Ian. So please be aware that there are spoilers to people who havn't read #4. Sorry!**

"NOOOOOO!" came a great big cry from the new Attleboro command center.

The door opened with a bang. Amy quickly stumbled in, her reddish-brown hair flying around in a fit. Her heart beat fast, senses heightened at the possibility of danger.

"Dan, what's wrong?"

"It's horrible! You'll never believe it! It's the end of the world!" Dan moaned, holding up his hands in gargoyle-like claws for emphasis. He was staring at the screen as if it had just declared that the word "puke" had been outlawed.

Amy scanned the room, relieved that there was no danger in sight. But then she was confused. What was going on? Dan was never this dramatic, unless he lost a super special grave rubbing or something. Amy's whole body tensed, waiting for any hint or sign of danger.

"Dan, w-what is it?" Amy stammered.

"It's _that_!" Dan pointed an accusing finger towards the big screen. He quickly slammed his hand on the keyboard, causing a video from an email attachment to open. On the screen a blue icon flashed, signaling that the video was loading. The 13-year-old boy then abruptly stood up and headed towards the exit.

"Dan? Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"To go find a hole to die in, of course," Dan replied as he slipped out the door.

_What was going on?_ Amy wondered, turning towards the exit. She was about to go chase after Dan when a voice suddenly spoke out.

"Greetings, cousins. I hope you've been faring well."

Amy jumped 3 inches off the ground.

"I would just like to inform you that our plane will be landing at six' o clock tomorrow evening. We're arriving at the Logan Airport—please don't be late, as my dear sister can get a bit irritated on…economy class." The voice seemed to choke a little on the last couple of words.

Amy wondered if she was going insane.

Then the door opened.

"Hey," Dan greeted Amy, sliding in through the entrance. He seemed to have calmed down a little bit. "I forgot to take my juice box with me. You never know when you're gonna need it when plotting your death."

Amy just stood there, frozen, staring not quite at him. Dan looked behind her and noticed that the video was still playing. _Darn it. _He'd forgotten how long that snooty guy had dragged out the clip.

"Anyways, I trust that you'll meet us there on time," continued Ian Kabra in his silky British accent. His amber eyes seemed to smolder even on the big screen. "Natalie and I are looking forward to spending the week with you both."

Dan gagged and ran straight out of the room.

"Ian, come on, we can't miss our flight! We have to go early because of those commoner lines," complained a distant, high-pitched female voice.

"Oh, there's Natalie. I better leave," Ian concluded. "But we'll see you soon." Amy glanced up just in time to see him flash a brilliant smile.

And with that, Ian Kabra disappeared with a little "blip" on the screen.

* * *

Amy stared, openmouthed, at the black monitor.

What…just happened?

Why had Ian sent the video to her and Dan? It wasn't like they'd talked since that…that phone call he made earlier that year. Amy ignored the slight pang that came into her chest. Maybe he made a mistake and meant to send the message to some other relatives instead—they did have a big family, after all. But then Amy slowly walked towards the computer and found where the video had come from.

Her email.

Wait, how had Ian gotten her email?

…And how had Dan gotten into it?

Amy shook her head, determined to find out later. She started reading the message and turned just slightly pink.

_Hello, Amy._

_Just thought I'd send you a quick reminder, in case you'd forgotten about your invitation. Not that that's likely, of course._

_Cheers,_

_Ian_

Angry tears stung the corners of Amy's eyes. That jerk. What right did he have—basically rejecting her over the phone, and then out-of-nowhere stating that he and Natalie were coming over tomorrow? And that they were so amazingly important that she and Dan were just dying for them to get here?

If there was going to be any dying, it would be from the terrible punishment of having to spend time with that snob.

It wasn't so much the wording of the letter as it was the memories that he had rekindled. He just had to go and bring up that phone call. She'd thought she'd gotten over it, but now the memory came back full force—how he blatantly stated he would never come visit, ever, and how her stomach dropped when he said so. And how he pushed her away, just when she'd thought that they might become…friends, or even something more. Again.

She felt so stupid for getting her hopes up. And weak for being at the fingertips of some boy who…who was so mean and only thought about himself.

The door banged open again, interrupting her thoughts. Dan rushed in, glancing at the screen.

"Yes! Thank god it's over. I hate that cobra." Dan said, distracted as he looked around the room, apparently searching for something. His eyes lit up as he spotted his abandoned drink in the corner of the room. "Oh, there's my Capri Sun."

He grabbed his juice box and was just turning to go back out the door when he noticed something. Amy still hadn't scolded him for called Ian a snake.

He was though.

But Dan turned back around and saw the look on Amy's face.

"A-Amy? You okay?" Dan asked, startled. His eyebrows scrunched up like they did when he got worried. He suddenly looked a lot younger.

Amy's face was red, a mixture of anger and a few tears. But she managed to give a choked up, "Y-Yeah."

Dan's eyebrows stayed scrunched. "Is it about that video? Because don't worry about it—he's probably just messing with us. I mean, why would he want to come here in the first place?"

Amy sucked in a breath.

Dan's eye's widened. "I-I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that he's so stuck up and snooty—he probably thinks he's way too good to hang out with us. But in reality, we're tons better than him, because you know, I have my super amazing ninja fighting skills and you're a complete genius. Basically, we're both just awesome people. We rock his sorry designer shoes off!" Dan said this last sentence victoriously, pumping his arms up in what he considered a fierce ninja pose.

A small giggle escaped from Amy. She felt a little better thanks to Dan. Her brother could be such a dweeb, but inside he really cared. Amy's eyes teared up again, touched.

"Although now that they're, quote quote, "poor", maybe they'll get to experience not having 5000 dollar desig—Oh no. I know that look. Don't come any closer—I'm allergic to cooties!" exclaimed Dan, backing away as Amy came in for a hug. But because of Dan's aforementioned ninja skills, Amy decided not to push it and chose to ruffle his hair affectionately instead.

"Thank you, Dan" she said gratefully.

"Um, it's not big deal, okay? No need to get all mushy on me. Let's just go downstairs, and uh, eat something!" replied Dan, embarrassed.

And so they went.

* * *

Ian Kabra absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the dirty armrest of the seat, lost in thought. He wondered how he, a young, handsome millionaire, could have gone from buying exclusive polo ponies imported from Argentina to sitting here in this cramped, loud, and public airplane. He supposed that it was no worse than sitting in one of those things they called…what was it? "McRonalds". He shivered slightly in disgust.

But the fact that Ian had never been to a fast food chain was not the only thing that made him different from an average 16-year-old boy. Almost 2 years ago, Ian had taken part in an important Clue hunt with his sister against all of his other distasteful relatives. He had traveled the world, survived the yakuza, and faced a gun from his own mother. He had survived it all.

But then why was there still this unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach? It couldn't be…nerves, could it? All he was doing was sitting on a plane. That just happened to be going to where two of his distant cousins lived—one who was quite silly and the other who was quite…not. He wondered if she still remembered that phone call.

He hoped not.

Ian immediately shooed this thought away. _Compassion is F.L.O._, he scolded himself. Besides, it was too late to change the past. He had made a decision, and he would stick to it.

"Can you _please_ stop that tapping noise?" Natalie Kabra suddenly complained. She was sitting next to Ian in a stiff black dress with white trim, a red hair band tucked into her shiny black hair. "It's starting to give me a headache."

Ian wondered what she was talking about until he saw his hand on the armrest. He hastily snatched his arm away, hoping that not too many germs had gotten on his sleeve. He grabbed a crumpled _Skymall_ magazine from the seat in front of him and started dusting his sleeve off with it. That is, until he noticed all the dirt on the cover.

Ian tossed the magazine away in disgust. He suddenly felt irritated. Honestly, did they expect this cramped plane to provide any comfort at all? He resisted a strange sudden urge to put his newly shined shoes on the head of the seat in front of him—he realized it would be extremely improper, no matter how stiff his body was. Not to mention it would soil his footwear.

"It's strange, isn't it? That in just a few hours we'll be in, what is it, Maryland?" Natalie sniffed, looking out the window. "I hope our cousins' housing has better décor than their wardrobe."

Ian glanced at her. She seemed to be taking their sentence to public planes better than he thought she would.

But Natalie was being strangely talkative with him. Recently, Ian had realized that he and Natalie never really "chit-chatted" as other siblings did. Oh well, more time for polo, he had thought at that time. But now, for a split second, he wondered—was Natalie nervous? The States was, after all, where their mother was confined. Natalie was probably hoping that they wouldn't run into their mum—not after all she did.

"I hope so too," Ian murmured.

Natalie gave him a curious look, which made Ian wonder if he had, unawares, snubbed all of her previous comments. But surprisingly, Natalie let it slide.

"Yes, although I am curious as to why they suddenly invited us. It's not like we've been the best of friends or anything. It's strange, isn't it?"

**And that concludes the first chapter :D Sorry, I realized after I typed this that nothing really happened in this chapter... Sorry if the first part was too rushed and the second part was too slow... Maybe Amy was sort of OOC...but I decided that if Ian was being like that to her (sort of...with an air of self importance?), then she might get a bit emotional before locking her feelings away..****  
**

**In the next chapter, hopefully things will start to happen :D ****This is my first time posting a story that I definitely want to be a multi-chapter story. I'll try my best to update with not too much time in between. Thank you so much for reading this! I hope it was at least a little bit enjoyable!**


	2. Favorite Foods

**Yay! Here is the second chapter! I'm sorry this took so long-I was planning to have this chapter out earlier, but it was really hard for me to write... I hope that it turned out okay.**

**Oh! I realized I forgot to say two things after I published the first chapter.**

**#1: I was re-reading the 39 Clues series recently (and scouring the books for any Amian moments) when I read that paragraph in _A King's Randsom _where Amy just casually mentions that the Kabras once came over for Christmas. (It turns out she got a very nice blue scarf from Natalie.) So then I was like, whoa... because that means that Ian came over too! So I was wondering if anything happened, because, you know, Amy and Ian haven't really said much to each other after the Clue Hunt besides in_ Crushed. _And so that is how this story was born.**

**#2: I forgot to do a disclaimer! I do not own the 39 Clues (that would be pretty cool though). **

**Oh, and one more thing, sorry! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I was so surprised and happy to get your reviews-it's nice to know that someone is reading this! Thank you! And now on with the story!**

Dan was just finishing up a nice, triple scoop, chocolate fudge ice-cream sundae when Uncle Fiske called him and Amy into the living room. _Darn it_, Dan thought, looking at his sundae sadly. They had a strict no-ice-cream policy in the living room—not that Dan usually followed it, but he decided not to push it after accidentally bursting a pipe with his hole digging. Who knew that shovels could be so sharp?

Dan stuck his frozen delight in the freezer and walked into the room. Amy was already there, sitting in a cushy chair and cradling a worn book in her lap. Dan plopped down into the seat next to her.

"Children, I have some news to tell you," Fiske announced, sitting stiffly across from them on the couch. He fiddled with the buttons of his shirt collar. Dan thought he looked sort of nervous.

"What is it, Uncle Fiske? Are you okay?" Amy asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine, dear, thank you," Fiske reassured her. "It's just that Mr. McIntyre and I have been talking recently, and we decided that it's time for some…let's call it branch mending."

"Huh? Trees?" Dan wasn't really listening—his stomach kept reminding him about his unfinished dessert in the fridge. But all the trees in the yard looked perfectly fine to Dan.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Dan, you dweeb."

Dan glared at her.

Uncle Fiske gave a tentative smile. "No, Dan, I mean the Cahill family branches. Mr. McIntyre and I decided that, with the upcoming threat of the Vespers, it's time to start building stronger ties within our family. But of course, this can't happen overnight."

"More like when the moon gets eaten by a fire-breathing rabbit," Dan muttered.

"So we're starting with small steps," Fiske continued. "And your upcoming winter break just happened to be the perfect opportunity." The grey-haired man's nervous expression came back, along with a little dash of…guilt?

Oh no. This didn't sound good. Dan had been planning to spend his whole break eating ice cream and playing crime-fighting ninjas and hanging out with his friend Atticus online, not participating in some team-building games and spending time with some cousins or whatever.

Huh. Why did this sound familiar? It couldn't be…right? Dan's mouth suddenly felt like it had been stuffed full with marshmallows. That video had to have been a joke. This didn't have anything to do with the Kab-

"So, we decided to invite Ian and Natalie Kabra over to spend the week with us. They're arriving tomorrow," Fiske continued guiltily. "With most of the Lucian leaders in hiding, it's quite possible that Ian and Natalie will take over the branch someday. The Lucians, as you well know, have excellent spy resources. Perhaps, when the time is right, they can help us learn more about the Vespers…" said Fiske, murmuring the last sentence thoughtfully.

Amy just stared at him in horror. For once, Dan was with her. Was Fiske crazy? What did he think he was doing, inviting some "cousins" who had just been trying to kill them a little while ago?

Fiske then tilted his head and added, "Also, with Isabel out of jail, it would be nice to show a little support to the Kabra siblings."

Pfft. "Yeah, right," Dan replied lightly. "Like they're not already plotting with Isabel a thousand fun ways to kill us."

But inside, Dan winced. He and Amy were still getting used to the idea that there was a psycho mom roaming around somewhere.

Fiske finally seemed to notice the discontent in the air. "I'm sorry," he blurted. "I know it was wrong of me not to ask you first, but Mr. McIntyre insisted that this be kept a secret and carried out right away. Um...he mentioned something about…er, blasting a pipe or something. Although I think he meant it figuratively." Fiske peeked at Dan and coughed.

"W-wait…so the K-Kabras really are coming over?" asked Amy, who had mostly been quiet so far. Her voice quavered a tiny bit.

Fiske's eyes softened slightly. "Yes, they are. I'm sorry…Supposedly they've changed and won't be a threat, but still...I really should have asked you both first."

As much as Dan didn't want the Cobras to come over, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at Fiske. He knew that the shy, soft-spoken man always had their best interests at heart. Dan just couldn't hate him.

But against his will, a bad thought appeared in the back of Dan's head. Something just seemed a little…off. He felt that Uncle Fiske wasn't telling them everything. But Dan pushed away this idea away for now. Maybe he was wrong.

After all, this was the guy who always took them out to ice cream.

"It's…okay, I guess." Somehow. "But just because they're coming over doesn't mean I have to like them."

"Y-yeah. It's alright…I just wish you'd asked us, but I understand," Amy said. There was a weird mixture of emotions on her face, from acceptance to fear to nervousness, and some other expressions that Dan couldn't read. He felt a little sorry for her, but at least she seemed to be holding up better than when she heard the news from that stupid video.

Fiske smiled slightly, visibly relieved that they weren't mad at him.

Which was great and all, but Dan had a feeling this was going to be a long week.

dududududu~

The car's bumpiness had to be a sign—it was obviously bad news, going to get the Kabras. Maybe Dan could somehow scare the snooty siblings away…

He wished that his two trusty pals were here. At least _they_ would help plan his rightfully justified plot. But then again, they weren't actual people.

They did have sweet killer blades though.

Dan sighed in the backseat of the car. "Can't we at least turn back around and get Rufus and Remus, please? I'd feel a lot better knowing they'd have my back when I'm around _those_ two back-stabbing cobras."

"Rufus? Why would you want a naked mole-rat?" Nellie wondered out loud.

Dan and Amy both stared at her.

"…Nevermind. Bad joke."

Dan moved on, complaining to Amy. "Anyways, why the heck are we driving to go pick up those snakes? Let them walk home, for all I care," Dan scowled.

"Dan," Amy scolded. "The airport's over 30 miles away."

"Exactly."

Amy opened her mouth, and then shook her head and closed it, trying to think of a good comeback.

It was quiet for a little while longer, and then Amy gave up and sighed. "Look, I know they're not the most wonderful people in the world, but they're still family, right? We should at least be…hospitable."

"Great. Let's take them to the hospital right after I whack them on the heads with a chair.

Amy rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Nellie snorted. "Dan, that joke was even worse than mine."

Dan gave her the stink eye. The au pair unfortunately missed it, being a diligent driver for once.

dududududu~

Amy scanned the airport, worried. Everywhere she looked, people bustled around her, lugging suitcases and walking briskly in different directions. Where were the Kabras? It was going to be impossible to find them in this sea of people.

"I hope they didn't get lost," Amy said, brow furrowed. It was almost 7:30—their plane should've arrived an hour and a half ago.

"Relax, Amy. They're probably just taking their time putting on hideous makeup in the bathroom," replied Dan.

She smiled.

"Yeah, chill out, kiddo. Maybe they're still getting their luggage from the baggage claim. Sometimes those things get jammed," Nellie assured her, rocking from side to side. Amy could faintly hear some punk-metal rock beat coming from Nellie's earbuds.

"Haha, can you imagine them getting their own suitcases? They probably think that the baggage claim is a merry-go-round that carries five star caviar and shrimp," Dan said gleefully.

"AWHOOOO!" Nellie suddenly screamed. Some surrounding bystanders jumped a few feet. Amy thought she saw a few of them give dirty looks before scurrying away, but she had learned to live with them.

Amy smiled. It almost felt like the old times back on the Clue Hunt—those few moments where they weren't being chased by some vicious backstabbers. When she, Dan, and Nellie were just together, chatting casually despite being in the most exhilarating contest in the whole world.

"Oh! Hey, if you're talking about the two polished Bratz, I think I found them!" Dan said, rudely pointing behind her.

Amy whipped her head around, heart dropping to her stomach. There, in the distance, were the two Kabra siblings, looking just as perfect and self-assured as usual. They didn't look at all like they had just spent 8 hours on a plane—instead, they appeared as if they'd stepped right off the pages of a modeling catalogue. With their dark, silky hair, flawless cinnamon skin, and deep amber eyes, they turned the heads of many.

Natalie stood, poised like a ballerina as she examined her nails. Her glossy dark hair shimmered despite the night filtering in through the airport. Ian stood confidently next to her, feet planted firmly on the ground, but his head was turned to the side. Amy couldn't see his face.

Then, as if he felt her gaze, Ian's head suddenly swiveled. Dark amber eyes met Amy's green ones. His widened almost imperceptibly, but then just as quickly narrowed again as that self-confident smirk spread across his face.

Amy's face felt warm.

It had sunk in that the Kabras were staying with her and Dan, but only just now did Amy realize what it really meant: having to deal with Ian's smug face everyday for a week. She resisted the urge to bolt, or to run over and kick him in the shin—she wasn't sure which.

Then she shut this thought away. Why did he matter at all, anyways? He was just a boy, a boy from the past. She was stronger now. What's done is done—she should move on.

Right?

Ian's head tilted slightly to the side as he murmured something to Natalie. The girl looked up, giving Amy a slow smile. The siblings began to walk over.

"Shoot, looks like they've spotted us," muttered Dan regretfully. "But maybe we can still make a run for it."

"S-sure," she replied, attempting a hand at sarcasm. But her voice shook a tiny bit.

Dan gave her a funny look.

Amy's heart started to pound, thoughts racing. _Oh come on, Amy, toughen up—it's not like they're here to kill you…at least not anymore. _

But they can still hurt you.

_They're family, just like Hamilton and Sinead and Jonah and everyone else. It'll be fine. _

Ian and Natalie glided closer. They were less than 2 yards away.

_Thump._

_They're just like everyone else._

_Thump._

_ Thump._

"Well, your outfits could use a lot of work, but your hair is…passable. Somehow," Natalie Kabra scrutinized, a hand on her hip. The model-like siblings had stopped in front of them, lingering about a foot and a half away.

"Why, hello to you too, British Barbie," Nellie muttered. She then made a big deal of turning the music up on her headphones.

"At least _we_ don't smell like airplane," Dan scoffed. He held his nose high in the air and dramatically pinched it with his fingers.

Natalie flipped her shiny hair over one shoulder, lips forming into a cold smile. "It's better than the smell of mud, as some people do say."

"Well, you would know, right?"

The girl scowled.

Ian stepped in. "Hello, Amy, Daniel. It's a pleasure to meet our dear cousins again—right, Natalie?" he asked while conspicuously nudging the glaring girl in the shoulder.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Cut the lies. Can we just go now?"

"Dan!" Amy's cheeks blushed pink. Her brother could be sort of rude sometimes. She turned to Ian. "I-I-It's nice to see you guys again, too. Was your flight okay?" she asked, stumbling on the first word. She wanted to smack herself.

Ian paused for a second. He had an odd expression on his face, as if he'd just swallowed a frog.

"Yes, it was quite…nice," he lied.

Amy noticed that Dan seemed to grin a little bit.

"What took you guys so long? Got indigestion?" her brother teased.

Ian pretended not to hear him. "Well, shall we get going? It appears to be getting late."

He was right. Amy could see the sparkling night sky through the airport's windows. It was beautiful.

"You're right—let's go. We still haven't eaten dinner yet." Amy reasoned.

Ian smiled slightly at her. She suddenly felt awkward and tried to ignore him.

"YEAAAAAAHHHH!" Nellie wailed along to her music.

He flinched. Amy smiled a little, and then immediately felt guilty.

"Dinner?" Natalie asked eagerly. "Are there any places around here that serve baked bruschetta with saffron rice pilaf drizzled in sauce meuniere?"

"Huh?"

"'Fancy food', as you Americans would call it," Ian supplied.

"Gross." Dan made a face.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Maybe we can settle on a compro-"

"Hey! Actually, I know the perfect place!" exclaimed Dan, jumping up and running ahead of the group. Amy thought she saw a mischievous glint in his eyes as he rushed past.

The airport, surprisingly, was starting to clear out, but of course Dan managed to find two people to nearly run into.

"Dan! Watch where you're going!" Amy called out, embarassed.

Her brother waved a hand as he rushed past the startled couple. The man was gripping onto his fiancee's hand for dear life. "Sorry!"

Dan ran a few more feet, then slowed to a walk and looked back to where everyone else still stood. Amy wondered what he was planning while the Kabras gazed at him warily.

"Well, aren't you guys coming?"

**Sorry i hope that doesn't count as a cliffhanger.. ehe...**

**Urgh, this chapter was really hard for me to write. I think, at least at first, I wrote way too much about Amy's emotions in the 3rd part-I probably ended up deleting about half of it, lol. And then I couldn't figure out how to write the first part with Fiske, because I was planning to have that be a short flashback. But then I realized that I should give a proper explanation after ending the last chapter on a cliffhanger concerning that. **

**Oh! Here are a couple responses to some reviewers whom I couldn't PM:**

**Person: Thank you for your support! I'm glad that it was okay! Hm...I hadn't actually thought about Evan, lol. But you make a good point. I just looked it up in _The Medusa Plot,_ and at the beginning of that they've been together for a couple months. So I'm not sure yet, because I feel like, with the way things are going, Evan might end up causing more than enough stress... I'll think about it, thank you!**

**KissesatMidnight: Thank you! I'm so happy you thought they were IC! Lol, yeah I realized that after going around Fanfiction a little longer. Ehe, じつは、私は日本人じゃないです。(Sorry, someone please feel free to tell me if it's not okay to write in a different language other than the one listed in the description, if that makes sense). But I like Japanese and have studied it for a little bit. Whoa! That's so cool! I want to go visit there someday!**

**fun (hopefully) fact: I searched up merry-go-rounds and "fancy food names" while writing this, lol.**

**Everyone, thank you so much for reading this! See you soon!**


	3. Poking the Cobra

**Yay! Here is the 3rd chapter! Sorry that it took so long-I went on vacation for a little bit, so I couldn't write/post. But here it is now! Please enjoy!**

* * *

The man adjusted his fake wiry glasses, which had been knocked crooked on his handsome face. "She better have a good reason," he growled.

"Oh, relax, brother," said his companion, rolling her eyes. "Stop being such a baby."

"I'm not a baby!" he glared at her. " I just hate being engaged to you."

The young woman smiled. It was a cold smile with no real compassion. "Really, darling? On the contrary, I absolutely _love_ holding hands," she drawled sarcastically. She squeezed her companion's arm tighter, fingers curling around her sibling's wrist. She appeared to be an affectionate girlfriend, when, in reality, her metal grip was blocking her sibling's circulation off.

"Ow! Cheyenne, cut that out!" her brother complained. He twisted his hand away from hers. He rubbed his wrist, his glare shooting daggers at her the whole time. Oh, how he wished he had a real dagger.

He had left his at home.

"Oops, I'm sorry, I forgot," gasped his sister, holding a hand up to her mouth in fake surprise. "You're still weak from that trip in Switzerland."

"Shut up," he snapped. He was already in a terrible mood. He hated this stupid mission. It was strictly surveillance, so there was just _watching, _without the fun of taunting his targets and toying with knives. He felt lost without his dagger, especially when it was those two-no, make that four, brats. But orders were orders. They were to be watched only.

The kids were almost out of sight now, with the younger, hyper boy in front talking about some stupid restaurant.

"The targets are rotating. Let's go," he ordered to Cheyenne, moving forward. She glared at him from under her red wig, hating the superior tone in his voice. After all, even though Casper tried to forget it, officially, _she_ had more authority. But his sister followed him. Although annoying, Cheyenne didn't lack common sense-she knew they would be punished if they didn't abide by their employer's one, strict order: _Follow them until the call._

Casper made five steps, and his sister made four.

And then the phone buzzed. Casper's sister was in charge of it, being higher up on the council than he. He eyed her enviously as she slid the device out of her pocket.

"Hello?" she answered in her sweet, deadly voice.

There was a pause as she listened to the other end.

"Yes. Goodbye." Cheyenne flipped the phone shut and glanced at her brother. She smiled evilly. "It's done."

dundundundun~

"You have got to be joking," Ian muttered. He stared at the bright, plastic food tray in front of him in utter disgust. "They dare to call this garbage 'food'?" He picked off a piece of browning lettuce from his cardboard plate, grimacing the whole time.

"Hey, show some respect for that cheeseburger. It has feelings and a heart, unlike some people," Dan protested, annoyed. He had been munching on his chicken nuggets happily until the king of snobs had interrupted his fast food reverie.

"Well, kiddo, usually I'm with you, but even you have to admit that that cheeseburger does look a little gross. I mean, the cheese looks...bouncy." Nellie said. She paused for a second, and then glanced down at her own cheeseburger. "You know what? Um...I'll be right back. I'm going to the loo."

The au pair stood up from her chair and hastily walked towards the exit.

…

"S-so...how's the food?" Amy asked, hesitant to break the silence with such a doomed question. She looked at Ian and then at Natalie, who was glaring at her plate as if it had personally offended her.

"I refuse to eat this peasant mush! It looks as if someone _died_ in it," said Natalie, wrinkling her nose up in disgust.

"I think you're talking about your hair," Dan retorted. Her hamburger looked perfectly edible to him.

Natalie gave a small gasp of shock. "I'll have you know that it's our flight's fault-I only got to spend thirty minutes on my hair this morning."

"Oh, no," Dan said sarcastically.

"But with such little time, I think I did a fabulous job, if I do say so myself." Natalie continued. She smoothed out her dress and sat up straight, prim and proper like a china doll. "It just appears to be that some people have no taste," she sniffed.

"No taste?" Dan shot back. "You're the one who eats trout with sauce menooey or something!"

"Sauce meuniere," Ian muttered. He poked at his cheeseburger with a shriveled French fry.

Dan scowled. "Who cares! But what's wrong with you people?" He gestured wildly at Ian and Natalie. "Can't you see good food when it's right there in front of you?"

Amy looked at him uncomfortably, shifting in her chair. Natalie just glared. Dan thought she saw her left hand twitch towards a bulge in her pocket that looked suspiciously like a dart gun.

"Dan..." Amy started. "Maybe we should go to a fancier restaurant next time. I think Ian and Natalie have different tastes than us."

"I agree with Amy. I don't think it's natural for this...food to be consumed by the human body," Ian shuddered.

Dan slumped in his chair. He should've known that his snooty cousins weren't ever going to see the obvious truth that fast food is delicious. Dan sulked, taking a big bite of his delicious chicken nuggets. "You're all weirdos," he muttered, glaring at them. Were their taste buds on vacation in Hawaii or something? This food was heavenly.

Dan put all of his frustration into his chewing. He chomped loudly, focusing on the deliciousness of the food and not his irritation at the Cobras' visit. Unintentionally, a little piece of food shot from his mouth and ended up on Ian's plate. He noticed that Ian seemed to shudder a little bit. Dan paused mid chew.

Hm. This could be fun.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"But you know, this food is really really good," Dan said loudly. He quickly stuffed another huge pile of chicken nuggets into his mouth, resembling a deranged chipmunk. "And ith yoo guays can't shee that, well, ha, 'cause dat wleaves mooo fthoode for grawin' ninjahs laike mee." Bits and pieces of food flew out of Dan's mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ian flinch slightly at each one, each time his expression growing a little more nauseated.

Victory!

Dan turned to Ian and said happily, "Ha ha, eat that, snake face!" Even though it sounded more like, "Haw haw, eath dat, snork fawsh!" But Dan didn't mind-that sounded like a pretty good insult too.

"Pardon?" Ian inquired, face twisted in disgust. Dan just grinned with his mouth full.

Ian winced again at the lovely view.

"Ewww, Daniel! People would think that you were raised by the...the peasant people!" Natalie whined.

Amy stared at him in part embarrassment and part horror. "D-Dan!"

Dan finally swallowed his food. He glanced at Ian, who sat very stiffly across from him. "Hey-you gonna eat that?" asked Dan, showing Bambi eyes. "'Cause you don't look very hungry anymore, mister," he said innocently. He plucked a french fry from Ian's plate and drowned it in red ketchup. He promptly drew a mustache on his face with it.

Ian's face positively turned green. "That... is absolutely horrid and disgusting."

Natalie's squeak of shock seemed to agree with her brother. "Daniel, what are you doing to your pores!?"

Dan just grinned, hyper from his accomplishment at poking the Cobras' buttons. He, Dan Arthur Cahill, had succeeded in poking the Cobras! It felt so good to get back at them after they'd treated him and Amy like dirt for so long.

"Do you guys want one too?" he asked gleefully, a mad glint in his eyes. He pretended to stroke his fake mustache in thought. "I bet it would really add to your look."

Natalie gagged.

But the thing is, you have to be careful with snakes. You never know when they'll have had enough and poke back. Or, well, bite.

"Daniel." Ian glared at him. "I may be quite poor right now, but I still happen to know some very high-qualified lawyers who would be outright _honored _to accept a job offer from me. If you don't wipe that mustache and grin off in 5 seconds, I'll gladly sue!"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Sure you will," he scoffed. "For what, having fun? Don't worry, I'll let you keep your teddy bear when you lose." Dan added to his mustache, painting on curlicues with a flourish. He popped more chicken nuggets into his mouth, chomping loudly.

"I-I do not have a teddy bear! Mr. Buttons is an exclusive, highly-valued-in-8-different-countries collectible made with real chinchilla fur!" Ian sputtered.

Dan raised his eyebrows. "Dude, are you serious? I was kidding!"

Ian instantly flushed. "Nevermind!" he snapped. "Anyways, stop that awful munching of yours and clean your face this instant," he commanded. "It's distasteful!"

"No way," Dan shot back. "It's a free country!"

"Um...you guys...If you keep this up, people are going to start to look at us...You b-better stop," Amy warned. Her face looked a little pink.

Ian looked to his left where his sister sat. He suddenly relaxed and regained his composure. "Natalie," he said. It was a statement.

Dan turned to face the nose of a dart gun.

D'uh oh.

"Dan!" Amy jumped up, balling her fists. She stepped hesitantly towards Natalie, unsure whether the girl was being serious or not.

Natalie smiled sweetly, cinnamon skin glowing. She brandished the dart gun with obvious expertise. "Don't worry, this type of dart only knocks you out for an hour. It's perfectly safe, although you might have a nasty headache when you wake up. Would you like to test it?"

Dan gulped. He shifted in his seat. She wouldn't, would she? They were...family, sort of. Ew. He always tried to avoid that fact. But they had bonded enough in the gauntlet for her not to kill him, right? But as for putting him to sleep...

Maybe he should lie low for a little.

"...You know what? I think...I'm not hungry anymore." Dan put down the last of his chicken nuggets. Amy handed Dan a napkin, which he hastily took with a muttered "thanks" and wiped his face off with. Natalie smiled smugly at him, while Ian smirked. Dan resisted the urge to pummel both of their faces into the dirt.

There was an awkward silence as everyone tread water in the new mood.

Then the bathroom door swung open.

"So, what did I miss?" asked Nellie, sauntering back towards the table. "You kiddos survive?" she asked Amy and Dan dryly. She looked at their faces. She also spotted Natalie trying to sneakily slip her dart gun back in her pocket.

"Okay," Nellie announced. Dan wondered what was on her mind. "Rules time! You guys all have to be at least _sort_ of nice to eachother, 'kay? 'Cause there's no way, _no way_ anyone's getting killed on my watch." The au pair then walked over to the side of the table where Ian and Natalie sat. "Got that, Mr. and Miss England? I'm watching you like a hawk." She made the two fingers going from her eyes to theirs in that classic "I'm watching you" motion.

Dan caught Amy's eye, and they both tried to hide their laughs. Their au pair was awesome! Somehow, the previous tense air combined with Nellie's entrance just lightened the mood. Amy put her hands up to her mouth, trying to contain her giggles. Dan tried to conceal his grin. And then Nellie whirled around onto him.

"And Dan, don't think I'm not watching you too!" Dan gave her his best innocent smile.

And then it was no use. Dan and Amy began to laugh. It felt good to crack up.

dududududu~

The car ride home was mostly quiet. Dan seemed to be in a good mood after laughing, but luckily he still had the common sense to lay low for a little bit-he just smushed his face up against the window, his insults at a minimum. Amy felt slightly proud of him for his self control, although she also admired the way he was able to stand up to the Kabras-a feat that she was still trying to perfect.

In the car, Amy closed her eyes, playing the sweet melody of a song in her head to pass the time by. She tried to ignore the fact that she was sitting next to Ian Kabra-when they had arrived at the car, Dan had scrambled into the shot gun seat as if an angry clown was close behind. So after generously glaring at him, Amy took the middle seat in the back of the car to be polite. Since, after all, Ian and Natalie were technically guests.

But her arm kept on brushing up against Ian's. She flinched the first couple of times it happened, but soon realized that it couldn't be helped-the car was a bit small. Plus, Nellie drove like a madwoman.

"Sorry," Ian muttered when it happened for the sixth time. Not that she was counting.

Amy was surprised that he had noticed. "It's o-okay," she stammered back. "T-this car is sort of small, anyways."

"It is," Natalie interjected, sniffing."You should consider getting a Mercedes-Benz. I hear they have a new hot pink collection."

Amy looked at her. Nellie raised her eyebrows, although no one could see since she was driving.

"What?" Natalie replied warily. "I just happen to see the ad appear many times in my fashion magazine."

Amy smiled.

Ian cleared his throat. "On another note, I've been wondering," the boy began. "On the filthy airplane ride here, Natalie and I were contemplating over the fact that you invited us over. May I ask...well, why, exactly? You failed to explain that to us in your email-you only mentioned that it was very important."

Amy's ears turned red. Ian's air of confidence always made her feel off her game. "W-well...Uncle Fiske decided that it would be good for the branches to get to know each other better," she replied. "He-he actually invited you guys. He didn't tell us that you were coming until yesterday," she admitted.

"We're not doing any of those team-building games, are we?" Natalie asked, scrunching her nose. "Because they always end horribly-especially the relay ones."

Amy winced. "I-I'm not sure if we're doing relays. Hopefully Uncle Fiske will tell us when we get home."

"Oh," said Natalie. She looked slightly peeved at the possibility of running.

"But don't worry, mostly w-we're just supposed to spend time together," Amy continued, trying to assure Natalie. "T-the main point of this is to have the branches bond before the-"

Dan shot her a warning look that could burn through metal from the car mirror. Amy mentally face-palmed. What was she saying! She had almost told them about the Vespers!

"Before the what?" Ian asked curiously. His face was a silhouette in the darkness of the night.

"I-I-I was j-just saying that i-it would be nice if the b-branches bond more before the members decide to fight over something again," Amy stammered, heart pounding. She then winced. The explanation sounded lame even to her.

"I see," Ian said, even though he obviously didn't, and obviously knew she was lying. Amy turned red.

"Well, don't expect it to work," Natalie responded rudely. "The branches fight way too much for it to ever be fixed."

Dan stuck his tongue out at the raven-haired girl through the car mirror, who was too busy checking her nails to notice.

"I-I know." Amy replied, recognizing the brutal honesty in the younger girl's words. She looked down at the car floor. The vehicle jostled, and Ian's arm brushed against hers again. "B-but we'll just have to try our best."

There was a moment of silence. She looked up.

Ian's amber eyes immediately met Amy's. He stared at her, and she felt her cheeks turn pink. She could tell he was thinking hard by the crease of his brow, the way he frowned.

"Well, then why invite only us?" he inquired.

Amy stopped, surprised. "I...I don't know."

* * *

**dun dun dun dun! So now there's a slight mystery :O (hopefully).**

** Yay I'm so happy this is up! Sorry if the food part ended up too gross/long-I think I was a little grossed out myself, lol. **

**I think I spent the whole day on this... But I'm glad that I was able to finish it today! *dances* Please tell me what you think of this!**

**Oh! I wanted to say-I realized after writing this that there wasn't much Amian in this chapter, sorry. I'll try to put a little more in the next chapter, along with Natalie because she's just awesome that way (and she hasn't really been in much of the previous chapters). Although, about the Amian thing...I love Amian, but I sort of like romances that build a little-so Ian and Amy aren't going to instantly be in love in the next chapter or anything.**

**Oh! And one more thing (sorry I keep remembering things to add) - I think that this story would also include the genre of Adventure. Sorta (You'll see). Although the main focus will still be on the things that Amy, Dan, Ian, and Natalie do together. But I like Adventure to spice things up a little ;) (wow...that's the first time I've winked online for a while...lol).**

**Thanks for reading this! See you next time!**


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